Despite reading the books and watching tutorials, your puppy still chooses to urinate on the carpet in the corner of the room.
How can you train her to relieve herself outdoors and follow the appropriate protocol, considering the unpleasant scent, disorder, and overwhelming annoyance it causes?
Fixing Your Dog’s Pee-Pee Problem
If your dog won’t urinate outside, the crucial step is to schedule a veterinary appointment to eliminate any potential health problems.
If your dog is suffering from a UTI, having difficulty climbing stairs due to pain, or is unable to control their bladder, medication may be the solution to the problem.
It’s crucial to take note of any sudden changes in behavior, especially if it’s not typical or occurs after a period of being accident-free in the house.
After eliminating any potential medical concerns, here are some pointers to assist you in resolving your canine’s urination issues:
1. Review your housetraining procedure s.
Frequently, revisiting the fundamental housetraining procedures can be beneficial. Restarting from the beginning at square one is acceptable.
- Take your dog out on a leash so you can be sure that she is actually peeing . Especially with young puppies, they can sometimes get easily distracted and forget that they’re outside to use the bathroom, not just prance about! Using a leash can also help to direct her to a specific location which can help with teaching her to potty in one specified location.
- Throw a big party when she pees . Give her a treat, some pats if she likes them, and lots of enthusiastic praise every time she pees in the proper spot.
- Take her back out 10 minutes later . Again, with young puppies, sometimes they don’t empty their entire bladder the first time around. A second try can help to prevent accidents. If your dog is older and she is trying to pee again after 10 minutes, it might indicate that something is wrong medically.
- Supervise puppies at all times . This will prevent you from missing any cues that she needs to pee but forgets or doesn’t know how to ask to go out. This might be: When she first wakes up, just after eating or playing, or if she starts circling and sniffing around. When she does this, leash her up and take her to her pee spot.
- Be consistent and take her out frequently. Young puppies should go out every hour or two. As she learns, you can slowly increase the length of time between potty breaks.
2. Teach your dog to ring a bell to go outside .
We can train your dog to request to go outside by associating ringing a doggie doorbell with being able to relieve itself. This skill can be used to go outside when necessary.
- Start by teaching your dog to ring the bells with her nose or paw . She will likely be curious about the bells, so as soon as she goes to sniff them, click the nose touching the bells and toss a treat away from the bells. Tossing the treats redirected her away from the bells, so then she has to come back and do the behavior again in order to earn another treat. Put the bells away when you’re not training.
- If she actually rings the bells, rather than just lightly touching them, give her a jackpot! This means giving her a few treats, lots of praise and acting excited — don’t hold back! It’s a celebration!
- Eventually, you want her to start ringing the bells consistently . They have to make a ringing noise. Click your clicker (if you’re using one to train her) and treat her each time she makes the bells ring.
- The next step is to get her to ring the bells, click your clicker, open the door and toss a treat outside . She will learn that when she rings the bell, the door opens, she gets to go outside, and then she gets a reward. We want her to learn that ringing the bell means that she gets to go potty, specifically. Not ring bells to get mom’s attention, or ring bells to get dad to open the door five times in one minute!
- In order to teach her that bells equal potty time, place the bells on the door only when you plan to take her out to pee . When she rings the bell, click and treat, walk out the door to her spot, and then throw a big party (treats, pats, and praise!)
- Once she is fairly consistent, you can start to leave the bells on the door all the time, so she uses them to ask to go outside for a pee . Just be sure to continue to praise her when she completes the procedure.
3. Eliminate lingering pee odors in your house .
To prevent dogs from revisiting an area where they have previously excreted, it is important to remove any existing smells. Clearing the affected locations could potentially avoid subsequent mishaps in the same spot.
Ensure that you utilize a carpet cleaner containing enzymes meant for dog urine to completely get rid of any lingering smells of your furry friend’s mishap.
4. Consider pee/poop training sprays to help you get the ball rolling .
You may want to consider trying various urine and feces training sprays available in the market.
Although they cannot guarantee immediate defecation or urination, pet pheromone products or artificial sprays that simulate the odor of puppy feces or urine may be effective in motivating your dog to relieve itself, particularly in a specific location within the backyard.
It’s important to note that these products could impede the process as some dogs may avoid defecating where another dog has gone before. Therefore, while these items could be effective for certain canines, they could be less successful for others.
5. For dogs who cannot be supervised, try crate training .
If a medical issue is not present, dogs typically do not urinate in their kennel unless there are no alternative options. Therefore, utilizing a dog or puppy crate for brief periods could prove helpful in avoiding mishaps.
You can begin by reading our complete guide to crate training available here!
6. Consider using pee pads or litter boxes for small dogs .
Pee pads or dog litter boxes could possibly be suitable options if you reside in an apartment building or possess a little dog that struggles to go outdoors.
However, it is important to ensure that you use pee pads or litter boxes consistently for your dog. Keep them clean, fresh, and easily accessible for your furry friend.
7. Solicit professional help if need be .
If you’re not finding success with the potty training of your puppy despite attempting these suggestions, or if your canine exhibits fear or anxiety regarding the outdoors, seek advice from a non-coercive trainer who focuses on positive reinforcement. You may even employ a certified online trainer at Journey Dog Training for assistance with developing a training regimen.
BONUS: Dog training 101 — How to set realistic goals and where to get started
Kayla Fratt, owner of Journey Dog Training and a certified dog behavior consultant, suggests that ensuring dogs feel comfortable in their skin and in the lifestyle they share with their owners is a fundamental goal for all dog owners.
Regardless of the scenario, be it bringing a puppy home from the breeder or having a dog for years, all dogs can receive training that would help them at any stage of their lives.
Starting the process of finding a dog trainer can be tricky. If you have ever searched for “dog trainers near me,” then you have probably felt overwhelmed by the vast number of options, certifications, and terminology available on the internet. There is an abundance of information to sift through! To make it easier, we solicited advice from specialists on the best places to begin. Here is what they suggest:
Identify your training goals
Essentially, dog training can be categorized into two levels. The first level focuses on skills training and basic manners like teach a dog to sit, stay and lie down, which would require a dog trainer. However, if your dog presents with a behavioral issue such as anxiety, aggression, or fearfulness, then a dog behavioral consultant like Brianna Dick of Pack Leader Help would be necessary.
“The way that I approach dog training is behavioral psychology based,” says Dick, who is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals. “We’re not looking at just the physical behaviors of dogs. We’re looking at their emotions and the relationship they have with their humans.”
If you require training for both skills and behavior, it is advisable to begin with the more complex aspect, which is behavior training. A dog behavior expert will have expertise in teaching your dog basic commands such as “sit”, whereas a dog trainer may not have the skills to address issues such as separation anxiety.
Be realistic.
As Fratt says, “Just like not every human is going to learn to love going to raves, not every dog is going to learn to love going to the dog park.”
Kim Brophey, the proprietor of The Dog Door Behavior Center and an applied ethologist who mediates family dog issues, has penned a book called “Meet Your Dog: The Game Changing Guide To Understanding Your Dog’s Behavior.” Brophey employs the L.E.G.S model (learning, environment, genetics, self) to explicate canine conduct. Suppose your pet is yapping at your visitors.
Brophey suggests that the dog breed may have been purposely chosen for several centuries to protect against intruders entering one’s home. As genetic instincts cannot be trained out of a German shepherd, it may be necessary to adjust your assumptions.
Decide how you’d like to train your dog.
There are several training methods available, including group classes, individual training, boarding and training, day training, and self-guided training. While group classes are less costly, they are less customized. Board and train facilities, according to Fratt, are more expensive and riskier.
“If the trainer spends all this time training the dog in this really specific context and then basically just hands you the leash, takes your check and walks away, there’s a very good chance you’re not actually going to be able to implement those new strategies and skills … successfully in your home.”
Your budget and training objectives will determine the selection you make. For instance, if your dog displays aggression towards another dog within your home, it would be inappropriate to engage in training that occurs elsewhere.
Bear in mind that you will need to be a part of your dog’s training, but it doesn’t require a large portion of your time. Fratt reveals that she dedicates approximately five minutes daily to training. Additionally, most of the assignments given by trainers are enjoyable and can be seamlessly incorporated into your daily routine.
If you’re looking to avoid spending a hefty sum on dog training, our specialists recommend utilizing these online resources available for free or at a low cost.
- Kikopup on Youtube and Instagram
- Fenzi Dog Sports Academy
- K9 of Mine
Understand the methodologies.
The field of dog training lacks regulation, allowing individuals with a website, Instagram account, or physical store to declare themselves as dog trainers. Consequently, there is no universal set of guidelines on which techniques to employ, leading to differing opinions among trainers. In general, trainers can be categorized into two broad groups.
One type of dog trainers, such as Fratt, employ positive reinforcement methods. This approach involves rewarding the dog with something desirable, like treats, for exhibiting good behavior to encourage repetition. Another aspect of positive reinforcement training includes exposing the dog to something they may perceive as scary, but pairing it with a positive experience to create a positive association towards it.
Another example is Brianna Dick, who belongs to the category of balanced trainers. This type of trainer emphasizes the use of positive reinforcement techniques but is also open to using correction methods, such as e-collars, to achieve their training goals.
According to Dick, E-collar training utilizes a collar that is worn by the dog and can be controlled via remote. It emits some form of stimulus such as a shock, sound, or citronella spray to correct behavior. E-collars, particularly those that give a shock, are a topic of controversy within the dog training community.
Dick advises caution when selecting a trainer who relies solely on e-collars as this approach is uniform and unlikely to yield satisfactory outcomes, stating the importance of finding a trainer who takes the time to understand the bond, lifestyle, and connection between the owner and their dog.
Find a good trainer.
To find reliable positive reinforcement or balanced trainers in your locality, a recommended starting point is the lists gathered by different professional organizations.
